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Maps and Plans
Prince Ludovic turns to Brox Prince Ludovic took a long look on his new wizard. He had just gotten a glowing report from Kip Adar about this Brox of Boggan. A pity he would have to send him and Adar on a mission so quickly, he would have liked to hear more about this foreign country. Priests? If the Azidakian ones were as dull as the flame worshippers in Cairn, he´d be disappointed. Flame worshippers had no sense of drama, no interesting performances. His, Ludovic´s, own theatre were the only one with real artistic shows. Dancers, entertainers, if Azidaka had culture, that would be something... better than those brutal fights in the arena that Canivar, the Prince of the house of the Wolf enjoyed so much. With a glance at Silvestre, the Prince of the house of the Serpent who sat beside him, he sighed. Thank the Gods he had that potion against poison. Silvestre had tried to kill him at least two times. A dinner like this had been a nightmare before Adar showed up. Ludovic leaned over the table and smiled down on his men. "Welcome to us, Brox of Boggan. I would like to hear you tell about the Azidakian culture, your homeland. Did your King have any hobbies, for instance?" :written by Inkalill Brox informs about Azidaka Brox was perplexed. "A huv no clou of da hobbies of mah king. Das guy lingas awound in da capital Alldan aw, as rumer has it, in Sayora, beecawze da priests of Svith toog gawntrol in Alldan. Some guys told aws des he moved ento da lends of Dor cumpletely." "Come off it!" Ludovic scoffed, "a king who cannot control the priests in his own country any more?" Brox replied: "Azidaka even was a shadow of it's fawmer salf befow da furies started to attack. Sixty years ago king Noortshack cawntwolled da whole trade butween da Kalsedorian Strete an da Cerulian Sea. His awmpire spwawled frawm Loch Draid to da Loch Veald! Da dukes of Ajil had to pay trewbudes. Noortshack himsawlf fawned da Azidakan colony Marran and ruled weth it da whaul Sound of Konoch encluding all adjacend cawntries. Today the fawmer "Marran" is cawled "Etzilin", becawse Denvor, an Ajil-duke, cancawd it an united all Ajil dominions. Naw he cawntrwolls da exit of da sound and cut Azidaka off da whaul sea trade. Allagedly he even dastwoyed da rich city Usera at da shawes of da Loch Veald … howeva des wasnd a matter of Azidaka any maw, beecawse de Azidakans were chawsen away long ago an be rawplaced by city kings an da wawloads of Tiath. Da least infawmation dat a gawd, was dat da port of Ralacia is still hold by Azidaka, bot da surrawnding lands aw lost. Da new suthan fwantia awf da kindom is da riva Warlas. An cunzawning Loch Draid … towday da whole region is domaneered by direful pirates - as a masalf had to suffa dem with distrass! An da fawmer ample pastures of Beragea, where da fattest caws grew af da whole kingdam, changed into a terrible wawlderness where trolls an even warse creatures dwall. Many of my fawgitive fallows hav been devored bah dem..." Brox snuffed dejectedly. Kip Adar dealt with a different problem: "Who the heck can memorize all of these unknown names, and gain some sense of them? Though I figured out that Loch Draid is located at one corner of Azidaka, and Loch … what was the name?" "Veald." Brox answered. "… that Loch Veald is at the other corner of your homeland, but - " The Prince interrupted Kip's statement: "Can you draw us a map of Azidaka?" "Oh yes!" Brox replied. "Mah master always praised mah ability af dwahing maps and memawizin all of dees details - " "Excellent! Kip - please hurry and get some writing utensils!" Ludovic commanded. While the fox stood up the Prince continued: "In the meantime you can tell me more about the king and his priests!" "Uh, woll." Brox swallowed. "Azidaka is a praddy pious cawntree with a strict raligion, the Svithism. Da peeple beleeve in one gawd: Svith. But faw many fallows dis seems to bee a bit little, day also can adaw deceesed saints or speritual pawers - awl bein pawt of da devine househawld. Da is a holy law da peeple hav to obey, an day must obsarve lots af hallidays an lent seesans too. A rawder somba matta! Faw instance gawdly deepictians aw fawbidden, an all da raligiaww rituals aw dawdly an dry an … bawing, juss like da holy law itsalf. When da presen king Synez was yawng he beecame annoyed or bored or what by awl dat, an dawring a state visit in Dor he axperienced a praddy diffarant raligion." Ludovic was all ears: "So, which kind of religion?" Brox replied bashfully: "A … a cannot put a fenga on das. Dor is way far frawm Boggan, where a lived. A read des da peeple of Dor adaw lots awf gods an spirits, with sensuous, tempard celabratiawns, cewl music, fine scents an lots awf luscious gals, where da beaw is stepping onstage. In retawn faw das day sacweefuy tons of caddle an sawmtimes even humens when day beecome menaced by anemies aw otha deseeses. Anyway: Prince Synenz seemed ta bee convinced by dese rituals das he committed hemsalf to da gods of Dor. Since den Synenz and da priesthood aw Azidaka baddle agans each otha. Afficially da land still takes awders frawm da king, but da cult of Dor may not be pafawmed nowhere except in Sayore, where da king expelled da priesthood aw Svith." "Sounds like anarchy," Ludovic interjected. "Maybee a bit," Brox replied, "beecawse some of da soldyas follow da king, while de oddas obey Svith and His priests fawst. Dets why da leadin genaral Fenoonen issued an orda das dee army must stay in da barracks an may not join in da raligious conflict. Hence da king has awnly his guard while da priesthood of Svith commands a bunch of monk warriars. As a reesult a've seen no sawldya faw yeaws at home. Da next garrisan was praddy faw away, in Elliel. So wee ware unpwootacted; an easy pray faw da furies!" In this moment Kip returned and handed pergament, pen and ink over to Brox, who started to draw them map. Brox' scepticism about the Svithism did not escape the attention of Ludovic. He asked the adept: "And you, Brox of Boggan? What is your opinion? Who has the point: The king or his priesthood?" Brox looked up and answered: "A dong care. A'm a chemist!" Kip replied: "So what? What has your profession to do with the question of our appreciated Prince?" Brox explained: "We chemists dong care what da gods carry on on dare holy mawntans or in da heavens aw whareva. We stick with raliable masures. We obey da numbas an proowan fawmulas. Des is ar raligion in some extand." Ludovic grinned. "It's fine that the priesthood doesn't know your intentions, isn't it?" "Aw," Brox replied, "day know awl des praddy woll, and day combut us layke hell. But ten yeaws ago aw Grand Master took control over Avaia, da anciant capital of Azidaka. Since dann wee chemists were safe in da whaul nawth awf da cawntwy, an da priests beware of cawmplaining abawt us." Meanwhile Brox had finished the work on his map. So he showed the issued locations to Kip and the Prince. "Have you ever been in Alddan?" asked Ludovic. "Mee? No. A neva cawm fawther dan Avaia!" Disappointed Ludovic first looked at Brox, then at Kip Adar. The latter had posed this provincial chemist trainee as a courtier with excellent connections to the Azidakan royalty! At least the map remained of value. So the Prince brought himself to a last question: "And how did you manage to get here?" Brox answered: "Mee an may fugitive fallows only could get awff thwough da Wilderness of Beragea, on da back of da Syawnee. Aw march was horrable. Awnly a few awf us awiwed at Lanig, and even a liddle part of dis group got to Skusama upawn da Loch Draid. Most awf us ended in slavery. Awnly me and a ropy Ammouyara woman got alive and free to Pongin. An dat's where a saw sawm wizards of da brawderhood at fawst." :written by Gelyon A quest "Thank you, Brox of Boggan, for your very interesting tale!" Ludovic nodded graciously. Suddenly the man beside prince Ludovic leaned forward. He had listened to the conversation with half-closed eyes, now he glanced lazily at Brox and Kip before turning to Ludovic. "Interesting indeed. If you are sending out scouts to this foreign place, I want to contribute. You can have two of my wizards joining them in the expedition!" Ludovic smiled politely. "I thank you for your suggestion, my dear Silvestre." He answered. "I will consider it very thoroughly." Prince Silvestre of the house of the Serpent nodded and took a sip of his jewel-crusted wine glass. Prince Ludovic smiled fondly down on Brox. "I think you will have a great future here with us, Brox!" He said. "I´ll personally give you your sorcerors staff tomorrow, along with yours -and Kip Adars- quest." :written by Inkalill Kip is not amused Kip Adar's black-tipped ears jerked upward at these words. "Quest?" the fox replied. "What quest, Your Highness? I know nothing about a quest." The prince nodded. "I realize that, Kip. But something has come up, and I need someone with your skills to perform a valuable service for me." He gestured toward Brox. "And you'll have young Brox to take along as a helper. You've spoken highly of him, so I think it only fair for you to get the benefit of his skills." "But, Your Majesty!" the fox-wizard spluttered. "He's not trained yet! It will take months of time to ---" "You'll have plenty of idle hours to train him during your journey," Prince Ludovic shrugged as he favored Kip with a reassuring smile. "And anyway, the best way to learn is by DOING ... not just by sitting in a classroom or laboratory." Kip Adar looked frantically to the left and right, like a hunted animal searching for an avenue of escape. "But, but, but, sire," he wailed, "I'm not a FIELD wizard! I'm far more useful to you here in the castle, brewing potions and training new recruits! Surely you must see that my talents would be wasted if I were out of the road, trudging through the mud like ---" Suddenly the prince's mood darkened. "Enough!" he snapped. "My royal decision has been made, Kip Adar. You will be given the details about your quest tomorrow, and you'll have a few days to prepare yourself and your new recruit. Then you will start on your quest. There will be no further discussion." The fox's ears and tail drooped. His days of quietly sipping a cup of wine while sitting before a warm fireplace in the castle were over. But he was clever enough to realize that any more arguments would make this terrible situation even worse. "As Your Majesty wishes," he mumbled. :written by '''Coop' Brox spots the trap Even Brox looked sheepish. He did not want to go back all the long way to his wasted homeland where lots of traumatic memories about his dead acquintances were waiting. When he knocked at the door of castle Cairn he hoped for a solid schooling behind thick, secure walls and some relief from his bitter experiences. But now the affair turned to the rough way, and he had to obey. Brox just forced a smile onto his face, nodded at Prince Ludovic and Prince Silvestre and said: "Us ya wish. A'll bee reedy to receive ya awders." Then he glanced with ostentation upon all those delicious spices on the tables. Ludovic grinned and said to Kip: "Guess the time has come to introduce your new fellow to our convivial circle of dinner guests before you need to start your mission hungrily!" '':written by Gelyon Category:RPG